🐒 Work with primates? Have you observed 3 or more individuals grooming together? Polyadic grooming is barely documented and we know little about its distribution. Please take 1–2 minutes to fill out this short survey and share: forms.gle/cLPB1mnwrjJo...

Polyadic grooming in primates

survey about observations of polyadic grooming in primate species

forms.gle

Still processing everything after returning from a visit to look at wood remains with Dr. Hui Shen from Mengxihe, China (Sichuan province), directed by Dr. Zheng Zhexuan. Can't wait to see how this progresses. Organics are hugely expanding our understanding of Palaeolithic behaviours!

Apropos of nothing I'm starting an occasional thread on the importance of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, to the story of human evolution. Its one of the most important Palaeolithic landscapes in Europe and we should celebrate that fact a lot more. Look out for updates #ClactonPrehistory 🏺🦣

It was really an honor to give this. I was so thrilled to see Unravelling come to UCL, to catch up with so many friends and colleagues from across the UK, and to meet inspirational Masters, PhDs and ECRs in Palaeolithic studies! What a fantastic conference! Thank you @unravellingpalaeo.bsky.social

Unravelling the Palaeolithic 2026@unravellingpalaeo.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Final talk of the day. The brilliant @annemiekemilks.bsky.social taking us from wooden tools to ancient societies with her inspirational keynote lecture 🦣🏺#UTP26

I’m thrilled to join the Carena Institute @bbkhistorical.bsky.social team, which will develop my teaching, build on my research, and also means @drclaireharris.bsky.social and I get to work with @lesleymcf.bsky.social @jenbaird.bsky.social and Esther Breithoff! ✨💚

Lesley McFadyen@lesleymcf.bsky.social · 4mo ago

✨Spring News✨ Claire Harris and Sadie Watson - MOLA - have joined the Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies at Birkbeck as Honorary Research Fellows! They will teach a new BA module Sustainable Futures for Archaeology and co-supervise PhD research on London-based community archaeology!!

🦣 Take a virtual field trip to some of the key Palaeolithic sites along the North Norfolk coast. Including text, videos, images & links to further resources. https://www.pabproject.org/research-projects/happisburgh/north-norfolk-coast-virtual-field-trip/ Happisburgh | Archaeology

Now we have Dr @beccyscottuk.bsky.social talking about the 20 year legacy of expert off-shore Palaeolithic archaeology by @wessexarchaeology.bsky.social 🦣🏺 #UTP26

Now it's @lettyingrey.bsky.social from @archsoutheast.bsky.social on how we sample for the Palaeolithic in the development sector. What do successful sampling strategies look like? What are the obstacles to implementing such a strategy? 🏺🦣 #UTP26

The final talk from this session is @drclaireharris.bsky.social from MOLA on making impact through effective public engagement on the Palaeolithic. 🦣🏺 #UTP26

NEW When #Neanderthal remains were discovered in Shanidar Cave, Iraqi Kurdistan, the fragile and crushed condition of the bones prevented detailed analysis. A year of conservation work helps explore the complex mortuary practices observed at the site. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

First 3 replica Roman, London 555, Amphorae made for a client, each approximately 1 metre tall. 2 more amphora types to make, a total of 13 pots. 🏺Unfortunately the process is not quite as fast as it appears here. See lots of our other replicas potted-history.co.uk or commission us. #archaeology

Last week to register for the Unravelling the Palaeolithic conference in London! Tickets are available for in person, and online. Hope to see lots of people there!

Unravelling the Palaeolithic 2026@unravellingpalaeo.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Only two weeks left to buy your Unravelling the Palaeolithic 2026 tickets! Join us 19th/20th June for two days of excellent talks and new research. Program: sites.google.com/view/unravel... Tickets on sale until 7th June: onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk/conferences-...

The Unravelling the Palaeolithic 2026 (preliminary) conference program is now available! Join us 19th/20th June for two days of excellent presentations on all things Palaeolithic, Palaeoanthrolopology, and Pleistocene. Tickets on sale until 7th June. sites.google.com/view/unravel...

🚨I couldn’t be happier to share that today I’m officially starting my own research group at the Human Origins Cluster of Excellence in Tübingen (@humanorigins.bsky.social)!🚨We’ll explore drivers of genetic, phenotypic and cultural evolution by integrating evidence from many fields in creative ways 🧬

A year ago today my teenage daughter underwent a 5.5 hour spinal fusion. Scary, painful, and a challenging multi-month recovery needing lots of at-home care. No regrets: today she's strong, tall, healthy. A million thanks to the incredible healthcare team of 2 surgeons, 40+ nurses, and physios!

We are pleased to share our new paper on the Iberian Aurignacian. We employed a quantitative approach to explore techno-typological variability and test its spatio-temporal dimension. @palomadelalasca.bsky.social Paper: doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Call for papers deadline extended to 10 April 2026! You’ve got more time to get your abstract in for Unravelling this year at UCL If you were on the fence before now's the time to turn your research into a submission Don’t miss out!

One of 2 key reasons I've just had a grant application rejected was a reviewer's perspective that experiments involving human participants don't give viable data on technologies of other Middle Pleistocene human species (I acknowledge this limitation in the application). I'd love some wider views...

I'm excited for this next week, Thursday March 26th - tickets still available! sussexpast.co.uk/day-events/b...

Book Long Man Lecture: Raksha Dave - Sussex Past

Join us at the second annual Long Man Lecture, hosted by cultural historian and University of Birmingham professor, Alexandra Harris on Tuesday 8th April.

sussexpast.co.uk

Wonderful - a different window into the archaeology of childhood!

Simon J. Greenhill@simongreenhill.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Amazing photo on @Science Advances cover today: 12,000 year old clay bead from Jordan showing the fingerprints of the kid who made it. www.science.org/toc/sciadv/1...

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Direct evidence for poison use on microlithic arrowheads in Southern Africa at 60,000 years ago

Earliest proof of plant poisons on arrows reveals complex Pleistocene hunting in southern Africa.

science.org

I'm SO honored to give this year's Unravelling the Palaeolithic keynote at UCL (where my archaeology journey started) for a conference that supports postgrads and early career researchers focusing on the Palaeolithic. I can't wait to hear from the next wave! Register, submit, spread the word!

Unravelling the Palaeolithic 2026@unravellingpalaeo.bsky.social · 5mo ago

We’re delighted to announce Dr Annemieke Milks as keynote speaker for Unravelling the Palaeolithic 2026 at UCL on 19 June! Her work on early weapon systems, wood technologies and childhood in prehistory is reshaping how we understand Palaeolithic societies. #palaeolithic #geoarchaeology

Book your tickets and join us for the 2026 Long Man Lecture with @archaeologyuk.bsky.social President Raksha Dave

The Sussex Archaeological Society@sussexpast.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Raksha Dave is our 2026 Long Man Lecturer. In A Conscious Uncoupling, she explores power, voice and responsibility in public archaeology - and why it matters now. 26 March, 7.30pm, @ ACCA, Falmer. Find out more and book: sussexpast.co.uk/event/long-m...

Repeatedly the UK government have sought to save smaller British industries, while ignoring the huge university sector which has enormous impacts, in a university city for example

Andy Brockman@andybrockman.bsky.social · 5mo ago

"If LLMs gut the graduate workforce, it won’t just be the undergraduate essay that they put out of business. It will be the British university sector as a whole – which is easily big enough to take the rest of the economy with it." Paul Sagar of KCL on HE'S Devil's bargain with #AI Broligarchs.

This is how I started out in archaeology - a brilliant program!

Dr Matt Pope@mattpope.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Applications are now open to join our 2026 UCL Master's programme in human evolution. Covering the Palaeolithic, Palaeoanthropology & other key disciplines, the course is designed to equip you for a career in the deep human past. #PaPa 🦣📷https://tinyurl.com/5duy6twh

Difficult to resist the urge to tweet 'told you so' every I see a headline like this. And so I've decided not to resist that urge at all! www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Teddy Wilson@reportbywilson.bsky.social · 6mo ago

“The artifacts, made from alder and willow or poplar, represent the oldest known hand-held wooden tools and push back evidence of this kind of technology by at least 40,000 years.”

Help recognize people who have gone above and beyond in communicating and countering misinformation about human evolutionary science by nominating them for the 2026 Evolution in the Public Eye award! Self-nominations allowed too. Deadline extended until February 7th! forms.gle/VXJgczHA1irD...

EPE 2026 Award Nominations

Nominations for the University of Michigan's Evolution & Human Adaptation Program award: Evolution in the Public Eye Nomination deadline: January 31, 2026 Award Description: This award honors outsta...

forms.gle

I love how accurate the reconstruction is: she is carving a small alder trunk, in the right direction on the basis of the toolmarks we documented on the tool, with the landscape, palaeolake and fauna in the background all rooted in the evidence from Marathousa 1. Thank you Katerina & Gleiver!👏

Katerina Harvati@katharv.bsky.social · 7mo ago

The artwork that illustrated our PNAS paper on the oldest wooden tools was made by Gleiver Prieto, who has also worked with me on illustrations for previous projects, including the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Marathousa 1. Gleiver's art really brings Pleistocene Megalopolis to life ✨ 🤩

The artwork that illustrated our PNAS paper on the oldest wooden tools was made by Gleiver Prieto, who has also worked with me on illustrations for previous projects, including the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Marathousa 1. Gleiver's art really brings Pleistocene Megalopolis to life ✨ 🤩